Aloo Kachaloo is a popular household Winter dish made in every Uttar Pradesh home. Like Matar Ki Ghugni, it is savored in breakfast or snacks in the UP belt. The dish may be popularly known by different names based on which part of UP you come from. “Dhaniya Aloo”,” Chatni wale Aloo “or even “Hare Bhare Aloo” are some of the common names. While the dish may bear fancy names but the underlying recipe remains the same-one which has originated in a UP household.

Matar ki Ghugni or more widely known as Hare Matar ki Ghugri is a dish that celebrates the fresh produce of Green Peas (Hare Matar). Like Nimona and Matar Ki Poori this recipe is also a common Uttar-Pradesh household recipe.

Hurda Bhel or Tender Jowar Bhel is a savory snack or a type of chaat that is more commonly eaten during winters (Did I not tell you it is my favorite winter recipe), as the primary ingredient Hurda (Tender Jowar) is readily available in Maharashtra during months of December-February.

We are just back from our short trip to Mumbai. It was so short that it was over we could even realize it. We left for Mumbai on Saturday late noon and were back in Pune next morning before some of the late night party goers would have woken up from their slumber.

Last weekend we took a hiatus from our work and chose to go on a brief vacation- at Panchgani for 2 days. We were joined by our friends, Pooja and Girish, a fun loving and easy going couple from Bangalore.

Last Saturday we had a rendezvous with our friends, Sonali and Rohit at a dinner. Such unplanned meetups with close friends have a very calming and relaxed affect, especially when you are living by the deadlines for most part of your day.

Finally, rains have started receding in Pune and we have not witnessed any brief or long spell of showers for almost a week now. Like summers, monsoons too have lingered around exceeding their timelines by few weeks now.

While I was pursuing my post-graduation in Culinary Arts, I had an opportunity to hear Dr. Meera Baindur, a renowned speaker & associate professor at Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, on the topic “Food and Landscape in Indian Tradition: Rethinking Ayurveda Diet”. The speaker explained about how the climatic conditions & geography of different Indian states have affected flora & fauna and ultimately their effect on food habits.